Bisons connections abound in 2023 World Series

BUFFALO, NY – It will not be hard to find a Buffalo Bisons connection when you watch the 2023 World Series starting on Friday night. Both the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks have former Bisons on their coaching staff heading into the Fall Classic, while Arizona also boasts a pair of recent Bisons players that made an impact on the Herd.

Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have been key contributors to the Diamondbacks postseason run this season, under manager, and Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer, Torey Lovullo.

Moreno made an immediate impact with the Bisons last season, after briefly debuting with the team at the end of the 2021 campaign. Behind the plate, the catcher allowed 26 stolen bases while catching 18 base runners, good for a 59% caught stealing rate, one of the best in the International League in 2022.

The catching phenom hit .315 in 62 games with the Herd in 2022 to lead the team and added several individual game highlights at the plate. He recorded four four-hit games with the team and was one of two players to collect two hits in the same inning when he did it against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on May 10, 2022.

Gurriel debuted for Buffalo in 2018 and played in a total of 68 games between that season and 2019. He made his initial splash with the team as an infielder, serving primarily as a shortstop, but in 2019 he appeared in seven games in left field. Gurriel made 89 starts in left for the Diamondbacks this season, on his way to being named to the 2023 All-Star Game, representing the National League.

Lovullo is one of 107 members of the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame, enshrined in 2003 after a successful playing career that parts of three seasons with the Bisons. His longest tenured season was 1995, appearing in 132 games for the team, but his biggest impact was felt on the 1997 American Association championship squad. Lovullo resides in the team’s top 10 in career hitting leaders in the modern era.

Lovullo also won the Fremo Vallone Community Service Award each of his three seasons with team as a player. Additionally, his .326 batting average in 1998 led the team in that category, on the way to back-to-back championships with the team. His 29 playoff games played is the most of any Bisons player since 1985, as well.

He was named to the 1998 International League team for the Triple-A All-Star Game but did not play due to injury. Lovullo would later manage the Herd while the team was still affiliated with the then Cleveland Indians and served as the manager for the IL squad at the 2007 All-Star Game. He served as the Herd’s manager from 2006-2008.

Jeff Banister serves as the bench coach for Arizona and was a member of the Bisons in back-to-back years from 1990 and 1991. After 12 games with the team in 1990, Banister appeared in 79 games for the team in 1991, serving primarily at catcher for Buffalo. He made his Major League debut with the Pirates in 1991, making one Big League appearance in his career before going on to have a successful coaching career that also included a stop as manager of the Ranger from 2015-2018.

There are a host of Western New York connections to the Rangers’ lineup and coaching staff. Patrick Cantwell was a member of the Bisons in 2019 and was scheduled to return to the club in 2020 before eventually becoming a bullpen catcher for Texas. Cantwell quickly became a fan favorite and was co-winner of the Community Service Award in 2019. He appeared in 22 games for the Bisons that season, driving in five RBIs and adding a stolen base.

Tony Beasley is the third base coach for the Rangers and spent part of his career with the Bisons. He played in 30 games for Buffalo in the 1993 season, contributing eight RBIs and a stolen base for the team that season. Beasley has made several stops in Western New York as a manager in the International League prior to joining the coaching staff in Texas.

They both serve under long-time Major League manager Bruce Bochy, who last managed in the Minor Leagues in 1992 for the Wichita Wranglers, a team formerly operated by Rich Baseball Operations. Bochy managed the AA affiliate of the San Diego Padres to a 70-win season in the Texas League before eventually taking over in San Diego in 1995.

Amherst High School product Jonah Heim leads the Rangers behind the plate as the team’s starting catcher. The 28-year-old has produced for the team all year, leading to a selection to the American League squad at this past summer’s All-Star Game.

Heim has a pair of home runs and six RBIs for Texas in his third season with the club. He appeared in two games in front of friends and family at Sahlen Field in 2021 when the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Rangers for a three-game series. Heim had hits in both of the games he appeared in.

The architect of the Rangers roster and coaching staff is former Major League pitcher Chris Young. The right hander made one MLB injury rehab appearance with the Bisons in 2012, logging six innings of scoreless work on the mound against the Columbus Clippers.